By Scott Gilfoid: David Haye (28-2, 26 KOs) is taking a wait and see approach to the outcome of IBF heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua’s next title defense against Wladimir Klitschko on April 29. Haye sees a victory by the 27-year-old Joshua (18-0, 18 KOs) Wladimir as pretty much academic for their match at Wembley Stadium in London, England.
What Haye isn’t sure about is whether Joshua and his promoter Eddie Hearn will have the confidence to take the fight with him immediately after Wladimir is beaten. While Joshua and Hearn have been chomping at the bit to fight the other heavyweights in the division, they don’t seem nearly as eager to fight Haye for some reason.
Is it fear that is keeping them from showing interest in taking this fight or some other reason? It doesn’t take a genius to look at Joshua’s boxing resume since he turned pro to see that it’s filled with mostly fodder opposition rather than talented foes.
“Hopefully, if he wins, his team will have the confidence – David Haye is the biggest fight on the planet, let’s make it happen. The ball is in his court,” said Haye Sky Sports News HQ about Joshua once he beats Wladimir.
I don’t know that Haye is going to be next for Joshua. I know the boxing fans want to see Joshua fight Haye, but I think he and his promoter Eddie Hearn are going to make him wait. I suspect that Joshua might be waiting Haye out until he’s old and has lost a good portion of his skills. However, if Haye looks vulnerable in beating cruiserweight Tony Bellew in their fight next month on March 4, then I think this could hurry the process along for Joshua to give him a fight. Joshua and Hearn probably don’t want to see Haye get beaten by one of the contenders or in the case of Bellew, a non-contender at the heavyweight level.
If Haye gets beaten, then a fight between him and Joshua will create a lot less interest than it will if it happens now. For that reason, Joshua is making a mistake by not facing Haye right now while he’ still relatively young, because the longer he waits, the greater the chance that he gets beaten by somebody. I think Haye is safe in his fight against Bellew, because that’s a mismatch on paper.
Bellew doesn’t have the boxing talent or the power to compete against Haye. This fight is probably going to be a 1-round blowout with Haye knocking Bellew into the stratosphere with the first big shot he hits him with in the 1st round. Joshua has a chance of losing as well to one of the top contenders or champions along the way before he gets to the Haye fight.
Joshua will need to face Luis Ortiz and Deontay Wilder soon, and those are fights that he could lose back to back if he takes them. Even Kubrat Pulev and Joseph Parker would have a fair chance of beating Joshua. The blueprint is there in how to beat Joshua. It was created by Mihai Nisor and followed by the guys that Joshua fought in the 2012 Olympics.
“If AJ beats Klitschko, which I and the rest of Great Britain are hoping he does, any time he is ready to do it I am ready,” said Haye.